Eight Sky Fire King’s Arms materialized, enveloping Luo Feng in a blazing light, like a tower of fire, giving everyone the illusion that everything in the world would be burned to ashes, unstoppable, with crackling sounds resonating throughout the square.

"Ruthless Way!"

Before the crowd could react, they suddenly heard a cold shout. Luo Feng gathered his momentum, and threw out a punch.

Boom!

Before the punch was fully delivered, the ground of the square in front of Luo Feng started to crack and collapse, as if an invisible force was tearing and crushing, the air violently twisting, fractured stones turning into clusters of fierce flames.

The next moment!

Bang!

A massive pillar of fire erupted, dragging a flaming tail over ten meters long, like a star of catastrophe descending, swift as thunder, shattering twenty-four sword qi storms effortlessly.

"It blocked so easily."

"It seems when fighting Cheng Jun earlier, Luo Feng hasn’t shown his true strength at all."

Low murmurs arose at the edge of the square.

In the direction of Sky Sword Pavilion, Cheng Jun clenched his fists tightly, his face pale, looking unconvinced.

Zhuang Fei glanced at Cheng Jun, calmly said: "Don’t worry, Lu Yun’s strength is more than this, he’ll take revenge for you."

"Hmm."

Cheng Jun nodded, his gaze fixed fiercely on Luo Feng.

Sizzling!

The punch energy vanished, and the pervasive sword qi also disappeared completely. Luo Feng stepped out, his clothes unchanged, looking at Lu Yun opposite him, calmly said:

"If your strength is only this level, then the one to lose will be you."

Lu Yun was slightly shaken, glaring at Luo Feng, suddenly sneered:

"Kid, you’re the first to push me, Lu Yun, to this point! But, you’ll only get this far! Lose!"

While speaking, Lu Yun swiped two fingers across the sword edge with his left hand.

Buzz!

With a simple motion, Lu Yun’s momentum instantly shifted, an aura piercing the sky gathered from all directions, merging into his body.

A massive cyan Sword Shadow rose from the ground, extending to the sky, the Sword Shadow oscillating rapidly, appearing real and unreal.

"Mixed Yuan Wind Sword Eighth Form!"

Upon seeing the giant Sword Shadow extending into the void, Cheng Jun’s expression was first shocked, then pleasantly surprised: "Brother Lu Yun will certainly win!"

Everyone’s gaze in the square was drawn to the giant Sword Shadow on Lu Yun.

"Mixed Yuan Storm Shatter Slash!"

With eyes full of sharpness, Lu Yun slashed his sword down.

Hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss...

Cyan sword qi divided in the air, in an instant, permeating the entire sky above the square, as if storm clouds pressed down, enveloping Luo Feng.

"The one to lose will be you."

Feeling the terrifying power contained in the Sword Shadow, Luo Feng’s gaze became serious for the first time, his body shook.

In this instant, in everyone’s eyes, Luo Feng’s figure soared infinitely, eight flaming arms clawed fiercely, resembling a demon, all but Xia Yunjing and a few top new dragon masters turned pale.

The City Lord Mansion guards fared worse, their silver spears clattered to the ground, unable to stand firm.

"This is the Grand Momentum!"

Zhou Jian glanced at Luo Feng in the square, his gaze flashing.

Su Rui nodded slightly, speaking with interest: "His Grand Momentum has already achieved Small Success."

Hiss!

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jian gasped, saying with some envy:

"In the last New Dragon Tournament, five people comprehended the Grand Momentum, but only one achieved Minor Achievement of Great Trend, now among the top ten new dragons. Unexpectedly, as this year’s new disciple, Luo Feng’s Grand Momentum has also achieved Small Success, truly unbelievable."

"Perhaps there was some opportunity. Martial artists who comprehend the Grand Momentum can exert martial arts power at twelve points, cultivation techniques will also be more adept. It seems in the near future, after Yan Feihua’s Hundred-Flower Sword, Linglong Hall will produce another top ten new dragon."

"Mm."

Zhou Jian nodded, looking at Luo Feng, his eyes flashing with brilliance.

"Invincible!"

Reaching peak momentum, Luo Feng stepped forward, his whole body Jing Qi rolled, spreading like waves, throwing a punch, facing the sky-covering sword light directly.

For the first time, Luo Feng executed the second form of Sky Fire King Fist: Invincible!

Boom!

This punch fused with the Grand Momentum, intent realm covering the entire square, fierce punch energy compressed the air in front, exploding with a roar, sky filled with firelight, rising against the sky.

Crack!

The crisp explosive sounds echoed in unison, the whole square a stormy turmoil, sword qi barriers shredded, rapidly integrated into the punch energy, bombarding back towards Lu Yun with incredible speed.

Pfft!

Lu Yun had no chance to dodge, fiercely struck by punch energy, his protective Gang Qi shattered instantly, spurting a mouthful of blood in mid-air, crashing to the ground, his face pale as paper.

Swish!

A figure appeared behind Lu Yun, giving him a pill to swallow, it was Zhuang Fei.

The entire square fell silent, only the waves in the water basin hadn’t calmed, making clattering sounds.

"In a direct clash, Lu Yun actually lost."

"Luo Feng’s Minor Achievement of Great Trend and martial arts realm are quite outstanding, Lu Yun losing to him is not unjust. If his cultivation were higher, at the next New Dragon Ranking Tournament, he might be a dark horse."

After a moment of silence, everyone couldn’t resist the shock in their hearts, exclaiming.

Xia Yunjing sat in her place, watching Luo Feng, her beautiful eyes flickered.

Having seen Luo Feng’s confrontation with Yang Wanyi in person, she wasn’t worried that Luo Feng would lose to Lu Yun, but winning so decisively was still surprising, thinking inwardly: During his duel with Yang Wanyi, his strength probably wasn’t at the peak of the sixfold Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artist’s level. In just half a month’s time, his strength has progressed so much!

The only silent side were a few of Sky Sword Pavilion’s disciples.

Cheng Jun’s face was ashen, like lifeless, the power of Luo Feng’s last punch gave him quite a shock.

That punch, ten of him couldn’t withstand it.

"You lost."

Luo Feng said looking at Lu Yun.

"You!"

Lu Yun’s forehead’s veins throbbed fiercely, his gaze ferocious, roaring:

"The duel isn’t over yet, I haven’t lost!"

Zhou Jian shook his head slightly, in the recent battle, who was superior was crystal clear, Luo Feng faced him squarely without any tricks, winning openly and honorably. Lu Yun refusing to admit it only makes one look down on him.

"Enough! Haven’t you lost face enough!"

Zhuang Fei interrupted Lu Yun with a stern voice, gazing at Luo Feng.

Xia Yunjing stood from her seat, locking her gaze on Zhuang Fei.

"Hmph!"

Zhuang Fei snorted coldly, suddenly took out a small, delicate jade flute the size of a finger, putting it to his lips to blow, but no sound was emitted.

Gah!

At the same time, a sharp roar came from deep within the City Lord Mansion, demon qi swept over, a massive shadow appeared in the sky above the square, overshadowing the moonlight.

It was the Blood Jade Demon Bat raised by Sky Sword Pavilion.

"Let’s go!"

Zhuang Fei shouted in a deep voice, his silhouette already standing on the broad and flat back of the Blood Jade Demon Bat.

"Zhuang Fei, there are still a few more exciting performances below, and it’s quite late. Why not leave tomorrow?"

Seeing Zhuang Fei about to leave, Zhou Jian, as the host of the City Lord Mansion, immediately stood up to persuade him.

"No need, I still have urgent matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave first. Once we reach Misty Swamp, there will naturally be more opportunities to meet." Zhuang Fei directly refused.

Today he came to Mixed City intending to find an opportunity to spar with Zhou Jian and make a name for himself.

Unexpectedly, things didn’t go as planned. Not only did he lose to Zhou Jian, but his two junior brothers were successively defeated by Luo Feng, causing extreme embarrassment, leaving him without any mood to stay.

Zhou Jian, knowing Zhuang Fei’s great concern for face, could only say, "Then we’ll meet again at Misty Swamp."

"Luo Feng, until we meet again!"

Lu Yun looked at Feng, snorted coldly, then flashed behind Zhuang Fei.

Seeing all the disciples of the Sky Sword Pavilion assembled, Zhuang Fei gently patted the back of the Blood Jade Demon Bat.

Whirr, whirr, whirr, whirr, whirr, whirr...

The Blood Jade Demon Bat let out a hiss, its wings fiercely flapping, suddenly soaring into the sky like a sharp arrow, moving so fast it seemed to cut the moonlight apart, vanishing into the vast night in the blink of an eye.

Luo Feng watched Lu Yun and the others leave, then turned back to Xia Yunjing’s side.

"Luo Feng, I didn’t expect that in just a few months, you achieved Minor Achievement of Great Momentum. Even Lu Yun is no match for you."

Beside him, Hengmu expressed his admiration.

Luo Feng smiled faintly, remaining silent, and sat back in his previous position.

The battle with Lu Yun just now gave him a clear understanding of his current strength.

An ordinary Martial Artist at the peak of the Sixfold Spiritual Rotation Realm is no longer his match. However, facing young talents on the New Dragon List is still risky if he wants to win.

After all, Lu Yun had just broken through to the Sixfold Spiritual Rotation Realm, and the Mixed Yuan Wind Sword he practiced was only a high-level Profound Martial Art, significantly weaker than Xia Yunjing.

The 41st and 39th positions on the New Dragon List seem only a step apart, but the actual strength is worlds apart. Moreover, six months have passed since the last New Dragon List tournament, and everyone’s strength has somewhat improved.

"It’s a pity you didn’t join our Yuangang Hall..."

Hengmu shook his head with regret; during the Twelve Golden Halls assessment, he had suggested to the elders of Yuangang Hall to admit Luo Feng as a disciple.

However, because Luo Feng had a life-and-death agreement with Yi Tian back then, the Yuangang Hall elders did not show the same decisiveness as Shui Linglong and missed out on such a rare talent.

Shaking his head with a hint of emotion, Hengmu said to Luo Feng:

"Lu Yun is proud and arrogant. After such a bitter defeat, he surely won’t be satisfied. He will likely try to challenge you again."

Luo Feng took a sip of tea and replied nonchalantly:

"He wasn’t my match today, and he won’t be in the future either."

"That is true."

Hengmu nodded with a bitter smile. With Luo Feng’s potential, he can only surpass others, and it’s extremely difficult for anyone to surpass him.

At least, it’s unlikely for Lu Yun.

As Zhuang Fei and the others left, the crowd discussed the last duel briefly and then stopped talking about it.

For disciples of the Golden Palace, duels are as common as eating and drinking.

Those who can join the Twelve Golden Halls are outstanding among the younger generation, proud and unwilling to yield to anyone, often engaging in bouts. The victorious are in high spirits and in the spotlight; the defeated can only endure humiliation, train hard, and strive for future victory to clear their shame!

Without enduring hardships, it’s hard to achieve greatness, a consensus among all the Golden Palace leaders.

The fiercer the competition, the more it serves as a tempering process for the disciples, with each defeat, humiliation, and honor pushing them forward, separating the truly strong from greenhouse flowers.

The annual New Dragon List tournament exists for this very reason.

After seeing off Zhuang Fei and others, Zhou Jian turned to Xia Yunjing and said with a smile, "Xia Yunjing, six months have passed. Your Chi Dragon Force should be far stronger than before, right?"

Xia Yunjing’s eyes glimmered a little. She stood up and said, "Why not try and find out?"

Whoosh!

As she spoke, the air rippled like water, and Xia Yunjing’s slender right hand grasped into the void, snowflakes drifting down. A crystal longbow as tall as a person appeared in her hand.

"Wait a moment!"

Zhou Jian hastily waved his hand.

Xia Yunjing thought Zhou Jian wanted to spar with her, and upon hearing this, she showed a puzzled expression.

Zhou Jian smiled, "Let’s save our duel for the next New Dragon List. There’s important business tonight, so let’s skip it."

Not one to speak much, Xia Yunjing nodded and sat back down, asking:

"What’s the matter?"

Zhou Jian replied, "Let’s rest for a moment. We’ll talk about it shortly."

Saying this, Zhou Jian clapped his hands, and beautiful maids immediately brought fine wine and snacks.

Luo Feng felt a bit curious about what Zhou Jian wanted to discuss but decided to go with the flow and didn’t ask for details.

The spread was sumptuous, and the wine was a century-old brew. Luo Feng didn’t hesitate to indulge himself.

After several performances concluded, Luo Feng put down his wine cup, looked at Zhou Jian, and said:

"We’ve had our drinks. Brother Zhou, you can speak frankly if there’s something on your mind."

"Alright."

Zhou Jian nodded and instructed the guards and maids around, "You may leave. Do not come in without my orders."

"Yes!"

With the others gone, only the five disciples of Yuangang Hall and Luo Feng’s group remained in the square.

Buzz!

Zhou Jian waved his hand, enveloping the entire square with a massive Yuan Qi barrier.

Using a Yuan Qi barrier to block out sound?

A hint of surprise flashed in Luo Feng’s eyes.

Zhou Jian glanced at Luo Feng and the others and said, "The reason for inviting you today is to make acquaintances and discuss significant recent events."

"What major events? Does it have something to do with the upcoming hunting tournament?" Xia Yunjing asked.

Zhou Jian nodded, "Indeed, do you all know the content of this hunting tournament?"

Xia Yunjing pondered and asked, "Isn’t it about hunting demon beasts?"

Luo Feng sat quietly on the side, giving nothing away.

Zhou Jian’s gaze swept over Luo Feng and his companions, smiling:

"It seems some of you are already aware, so I’ll speak plainly. This hunting tournament is not merely about hunting demon beasts; it’s about attacking a Demon Sect stronghold."

Attacking a Demon Sect stronghold!

Xia Yunjing took a deep breath. She had participated in attacking a Demon Sect stronghold before and knew its implications.

Previously, the Linglong Hall disciples accidentally discovered a Blood Demon Sect stronghold. With Shui Linglong and a Golden Palace elder leading two hundred inner sect disciples, they attacked, suffering nearly fifty casualties, a heavy loss, and yet letting one of the Blood Demon Generals, Xue Jiuyou, escape.

That thrilling battle remains vivid in Xia Yunjing’s memory to this day.

After calming herself a bit, Xia Yunjing asked:

"Is this true?"

Zhou Jian nodded, "Think about it, why would the Twelve Golden Halls suddenly jointly host a hunting tournament and offer a ground-level cultivation technique as a reward? I learned from the Hall Master that someone obtained a map of the Demon Sect strongholds, marking their sites within the Canglang Dynasty. For this reason, the Hall Masters decided to host this hunting tournament to diminish the Demon Sect’s strength. Otherwise, if the Western Region’s Demon Sect and the Hundred Nations Territory go to war in a few years, the Canglang Dynasty will face annihilation."

Xia Yunjing nodded, finding this hunting tournament peculiar and now realizing the truth.

Like remembering something, Zhou Jian said:

"The person who discovered this map is said to be one of your Linglong Hall disciples, which is a monumental contribution. Do you know who it is?"